FRESNO, Calif. - When school officials announce the name of the Fresno High School prom king on Saturday, Cinthia Covarrubias will be wearing a tuxedo just like the six boys vying for the honor. Administrators agreed to reverse a district protocol this week that limited males to compete for the title after Covarrubias was nominated by her classmates.

"I would never have run for anything if I had to wear a dress," said Covarrubias, who considers herself transgender, an umbrella term that covers all people whose outward appearance and internal identity don't match their gender at birth.

Gay youth advocates called it a landmark victory for campus gender expression and said they believe it's the first time in the U.S. that an openly transgender student has run for prom royalty.

"We are growing as a society to accept much more diversity in gender expression, and that's a positive thing," said Carolyn Laub, director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.

Covarrubias, who wears black-and-white Vans, baggy shorts and close-cropped brown hair, sometimes identifies herself as Tony. Her date, a close female friend, plans to wear a black dress and red corsage to the prom at an outdoor reception hall surrounded by man-made waterfalls.

On Wednesday, officials at the school of 2,700 students shifted course, saying the district's lawyers had recommended adding Covarrubias' name to the ballot to comply with a 2000 state law protecting students' ability to express their gender identity on campus.

"We always want to do the right thing by our students," Vice Principal Sheila Uriarte said. "This is why we came to this decision."

Leanne Reyes, 16, said Covarrubias had her vote.

"It's not like the stereotype where the king has to be a jock and he's there with the cheerleaders anymore," said Reyes, a senior. "We live in a generation now where dudes are chicks and chicks are dudes."

Still, some students criticized the decision to put Covarrubias on the ballot.

"I like lesbians, but they shouldn't be allowed to run for king," said senior Erich Logan, 18, as he stood outside the stately high school building.

A native of Jalisco, Mexico, Covarrubias said she has bucked rigid expectations of how a girl in her culture should behave. Explaining the meaning of terms like "queer" and "transgender" to her parents and eight siblings has at times been painful, she said.

"My freshman year I just started feeling different," she said. "When I decided to change to be like this, all of a sudden I said, 'Wow, I feel OK. I feel like finally I'm being me.'"

She has no current plans, however, to permanently alter her gender through hormones or surgery.

Tiffani Sanchez, a science teacher who advises the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, said the decision would foster understanding of the broad spectrum of gender identities.

"Cinthia is still really learning who she is," she said. "We want her to know that there's a safe space for her here and we support her."

Covarrubias is giddily looking forward to the prom, but acknowledged being a little nervous.

"I'm happy I actually made a difference about changing the law and the policy so you can run for your choice," Covarrubias said.

that senior, Erich Logan, what a fucker.... of course he likes lesbians, the ones that are in the porn movies, right because, he should know that Cinthia identifies as a HE and not as a lesbian....but over all, good news... and not to mention in Fresno of all pplaces, fresno is pretty ... well... conservative, i mean it is in the VALLEY!

I believe he said it correctly. Apparently this person has not had gender re-assignment. And therefore, is still female. Therefore, she should not be allowed to run.

dude.... i will not even respond to this... you are gonna anger a lot other people around here with this, im gonna let them shred you to pieces... but those " " and the word he inside of them.... clearly it hasnt reached "diverse" SD yet that LESBIANS arent TRANSGENDER, have you noticed that a lot of us call eachother QUEER, because the rainbow is so diverse..... oh wait, this High School isnt in SD, thats right, it is on the COAST in CA, where people generally SEE the difference between Lesbians and Transgender people... of course there are the few rotten apples like that guy you quoted, but you know...

dude.... i will not even respond to this... you are gonna anger a lot other people around here with this, im gonna let them shred you to pieces... but those " " and the word he inside of them.... clearly it hasnt reached "diverse" SD yet that LESBIANS arent TRANSGENDER, have you noticed that a lot of us call eachother QUEER, because the rainbow is so diverse..... oh wait, this High School isnt in SD, thats right, it is on the COAST in CA, where people generally SEE the difference between Lesbians and Transgender people... of course there are the few rotten apples like that guy you quoted, but you know...

What are you screaming at me for? I am agreeing with you.

I did not say that Lesbians are Transgender! I know what a tranny is thank you! I said - Unless this girl gets a penis, she shouldn't be allowed to run for prom KING. I don't care if she is a man trapped in a womans body, until she has that body, she should have to follow the rules set in place for a competition like that, otherwise it's unfair!

As far as angering people, who cares, it's my oppinion. If they cannot respect that, I promise I won't lose any sleep at night.

And please stop pointing out where I live in every single post you reply to me in. Believe it or not, I do go outside of my home, and sometimes I even drive around! (I know, crazy!) I'm well aware of where I live. And for that matter, if I forget, I can look at my user panel which specifically states my location as well. So please, knock it off with the fact that the midwest is a giant boil on your egotistical forum attitude ass, because franky, you are annoying me. I'm not trying to be rude to you, but as you cannot seem to convey a message on your behalf in any way BUT being rude, I guess I'm going to stop treating you nicely. Now please, have some respect for someone elses view point, and respect for another person in general. I'm not going out of my way to be rude to you, so please don't do it to me. Thank you

I did not say that Lesbians are Transgender! I know what a tranny is thank you! I said - Unless this girl gets a penis, she shouldn't be allowed to run for prom KING. I don't care if she is a man trapped in a womans body, until she has that body, she should have to follow the rules set in place for a competition like that, otherwise it's unfair!

First of all... as the resident Trans guy... Fuck you! Do not use that word in reference to any Transgender person, it's insulting on par with Faggot actually. Get your Midwestern head out of your ass and get an education in Queer culture before you open your mouth boy.

And actually not allow a Male idenified trans person from running for Prom King is a violation of California State Anti-Discrimination and Hate Crime laws which protect a persons right to Gender Identity and Expression... Then Again seeing as you're from SD you'd know nothing about that since your state refuses to pass such statues. A Human Being does not need a penis to be a man. In fact genitals are a very SMALL part of the equation. Go do some research and try not being so narrow minded... then maybe Cools and myself won't have to ripe you a new asshole every other day.

Unless this girl gets a penis, she shouldn't be allowed to run for prom KING

beware the strap on force! lol
seriously, this is bullshit!!!
of course he's allowed to run for the prom king! it's not like the end of the world, it's just prom and fun, right?
it's pretty cool that the administration doesn't want to kick him out just because he's a woman in a physical way
penis or not, the important part is that all this prom stuff helps him to define himself
it must be pretty difficult to go through this and I find the administration very respectful about that
btw, holly cows! that senior guy is a f*ckin tw*t

Well, i've already mentioned it, but maybe we should have four official genders: male with male genitals, male with female genitals, female with male genitals, and female with female genitals. Everybody would be happy and it would make things less black and white.

Khartoun2004, i thought youd like the article ... also, i am not responding to Talybittu, because as i said and predicted in my other post, other people are! LoL
I just wanted to add as a general comment that gender and sexual identities are so diverse, it isnt even as easy as Trasns Guy or FTM necessarilly means a woman that transitions to a man and is attracted to girls, as most people think - look at our own Khartoun2004, as far as i know he falls in the FTM and is attracted to guys... so actually, would you also identify as a gay boy, K?

what would be even more awsome is if he wins the prom king.. .and i hope the prom queen is some homophob cheerleader

Khartoun - I was not meaning to offend anyone. I'd also like to say that I"m glad you're on your way to you're desired gender. I'm not prejudice, I just spent an entire day without talking, passing out cards to show acceptance for GBLT people. I am all for equality. But that still does not change my oppinion on this matter.

What legislation and science defines as "Gender" are completely different. Government says that your gender is what is also known as your "Gender Identity", meaning whatever you feel that you are sex wise. But it also can be interpreted as what other people percieve your gender as.

Your gender - whether people like it or not. Are based upon your chemical makeup, and you cannot change that.

In science, you are female if you have female genitalia and two X chromosomes.

You are male if you have male genitalia and one X and one Y chromosome.

I do not care what society lables anybody. The fact of the matter is, science determines your sex, not your local government. This does not mean that I don't agree with transgendered people, because I feel it's a great step towards GBLT acceptance to take the step forward and change your sex for your own desired reason. But when it comes down to it, science takes precedence over legislation that is one of the biggest disputes in the trangender world.

And for that matter, I'd like to point out that this article is a bit derogatory if you found the term "Tranny" offensive. According to you a persons gender is whatever gender they think they are correct? So then, wouldn't it be discriminatory to refer to that said person as anynthing but Male or Female? Since technically being "transgeder" dosen't exist? After all, it's just a state to where you believe you are the opposite sex, so why have the term at all? Why not just call yourself a male if you are a female? And female if you are a male?

- Because it's not that simple. And science proves that.

__________________________

I'm sorry if I've offended you, but these are my view on the matter, and I do not think that a woman should be able to run for prom king. Does this mean if she thought she were a dog she'd be able to lick her vagina in public and pee on sidewalks? No, do you see my point?

Society can tell you what you want to belive, and the government can tell you what doors they are opening, but the fact of the matter is, science is the only field that actually counts for something.

i like quoting your posts so that they stay in history longer, in case you decide to change them...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talyubittu

Khartoun - I was not meaning to offend anyone. I'd also like to say that I"m glad you're on your way to you're desired gender. I'm not prejudice, I just spent an entire day without talking, passing out cards to show acceptance for GBLT people. I am all for equality. But that still does not change my oppinion on this matter.

What legislation and science defines as "Gender" are completely different. Government says that your gender is what is also known as your "Gender Identity", meaning whatever you feel that you are sex wise. But it also can be interpreted as what other people percieve your gender as.

Your gender - whether people like it or not. Are based upon your chemical makeup, and you cannot change that.

In science, you are female if you have female genitalia and two X chromosomes.

You are male if you have male genitalia and one X and one Y chromosome.

I do not care what society lables anybody. The fact of the matter is, science determines your sex, not your local government. This does not mean that I don't agree with transgendered people, because I feel it's a great step towards GBLT acceptance to take the step forward and change your sex for your own desired reason. But when it comes down to it, science takes precedence over legislation that is one of the biggest disputes in the trangender world.

And for that matter, I'd like to point out that this article is a bit derogatory if you found the term "Tranny" offensive. According to you a persons gender is whatever gender they think they are correct? So then, wouldn't it be discriminatory to refer to that said person as anynthing but Male or Female? Since technically being "transgeder" dosen't exist? After all, it's just a state to where you believe you are the opposite sex, so why have the term at all? Why not just call yourself a male if you are a female? And female if you are a male?

- Because it's not that simple. And science proves that.

__________________________

I'm sorry if I've offended you, but these are my view on the matter, and I do not think that a woman should be able to run for prom king. Does this mean if she thought she were a dog she'd be able to lick her vagina in public and pee on sidewalks? No, do you see my point?

Society can tell you what you want to belive, and the government can tell you what doors they are opening, but the fact of the matter is, science is the only field that actually counts for something.

that GBLT community you are refering to, im assuming you mean the LGBT, if so, did you know there are OTHER types of queer people who are trying to expand those four letters... and one example of such other queers, which arent included in the LGBT and who hit you in the head with a big stone after your "biology and chemistry" preaching up there: Intersexuals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex ... what are you gonna call them, eh? freaks?!? I mean, should they be a male or a female... god, their chemisty is fucked up, so what do you think of them? i wonder......

I do not think that a woman should be able to run for prom king. Does this mean if she thought she were a dog she'd be able to lick her vagina in public and pee on sidewalks?

How does being a non-gender-reassigned transgender person equal thinking you are a dog, though. This is what I'm wondering. A transgender person IS a person of a different sex than the body they were born in. If a girl thinks she's a dog, that doesn't make her one, does it?

Transgender people don't think, they are. The fact that this particular guy made the decision not to have surgery doesn't change anything about his true gender, IMHO.

that GBLT community you are refering to, im assuming you mean the LGBT, if so, did you know there are OTHER types of queer people who are trying to expand those four letters... and one example of such other queers, which arent included in the LGBT and who hit you in the head with a big stone after your "biology and chemistry" preaching up there: Intersexuals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex ... what are you gonna call them, eh? freaks?!? I mean, should they be a male or a female... god, their chemisty is fucked up, so what do you think of them? i wonder......

What's your point? I didn't say Intersexuals did not exist in my previous posts, I didn't make any reference to them. I'm well aware of their existance. This is an entirely different case, these people had no control over the way their chromosomes and chemistry formed. I'm not saying that transgender people do have control over it, I'm just saying that you will forever have traits of the sex that you were a birth. Nothing can change that. An intersexual person is neither gender, they have traits of both but are not actually belonging to either sex. Many of them have it corrected to one sex if I'm not mistaken?

I've already explained to you that I do not have anything against anyone. So please stop trying to make it look like I do.

How does being a non-gender-reassigned transgender person equal thinking you are a dog, though. This is what I'm wondering. A transgender person IS a person of a different sex than the body they were born in. If a girl thinks she's a dog, that doesn't make her one, does it?

Transgender people don't think, they are.

Because. Each person is thinking something that their chemical makeup says they are not.

Quote:

A transgendered person IS a person of a dfferent sex than the the body they were born it?

How do you figure that? A person IS what their body is. Their mind says otherwise.

So why can't someone say they are a dog in a persons body? They don't look like a dog, they don't act like a dog. But then again, a transgedered person dosen't naturally look like the sex they're wanting to be.

Quote:

If a girl thinks she's a dog, that doesn't make her one, does it?

So then why does a girl thinking she's a man make her one in terms of what this article is about?

Talyubittu, no offence but the chromosomes stuff is not always true
if you wanna think like a "scientist", you should always think about exceptions (plus, it's important to pass your exams at uni lol)
and no ... I don't see your point

Chromosomes are what they are. Please tell me an instance where chromosomes are "not true". I don't even understand what you mean by that statement.

Talyubittu, are you f*ckin graduated? tell me? please
cuz I'm studying biology and I was in med school for 2 f*ckin years!
you're really pissing me off
XXY XXX XO etc etc that's what I talk about! you f*ckin moron! I'm not a native english speaker! (I mean I can't explain it to you correctly ... except if you're fluent in french) but please ... shut up on this one
cuz 1/20 000 people who have XY can have a female phenotype
so please! shut the f*ck up!

edit : ok my post is borderline and I'm not telling you that I know everything about chromosomes and sciences, but as a science student it's pissing me off when you wanna talk about something and you don't have the basics
*sorry*

Talyubittu, are you fuckin graduated? tell me? please
cuz I'm studying biology and I was in med school for 2 fuckin years!
you're really pissing me off
XXY XXX XO etc etc that's what I talk about! you fuckin moron! I'm not a native english speaker! (I mean I can't explain it to you correctly ... except if you're fluent in french) but please ... shut up on this one
cuz 1/20 000 people who have XY can have a female phenotype
so please! shut the fuck up!

Perhaps you should spend more time learning how to talk about biology in English than learning how to cuss people out then?

- It is not my fault that you cannot explain it, so please don't scream at me.